Fiona has taken the world by storm, starting as Cincinnati's hope and moving on to be America's sweetheart. Her story began Jan. 24, 2017, when she was born two months premature. She weighed only 29 pounds, half the weight of a normal baby hippo.

Thanks to her dedicated round-the-clock caregivers, and her inspirational will, Fiona has survived, becoming a social media sensation. She's been featured in dozens of newspapers, magazines and news websites. And now ... the possibility of Time magazine.

Zoo public relations person Michelle Curley said Fiona is a good fit for "Person of the Year" because "she’s a symbol of hope and all things good in this world."

"She’s something positive that everyone can agree on," Curley said. "She’s also an international celebrity. She certainly means different things to different people. Some say that she’s a symbol of hope, some say she represents body positivity, and she is the best ambassador that her species could hope to have."

Curley said the Cincinnati community has rallied around her from the start.

"People everywhere genuinely love this little hippo, and she is every bit as amazing and charismatic in person as she is in the videos that we post," she said. "She’s not a person, but she absolutely deserves the 'Personality of the Year' title."

If selected, Fiona would be the youngest Time honoree, at not even a year old. She'd join the company of 2010 Person of the Year Mark Zuckerberg at 26 and the first official Time Magazine Person of the Year Charles Lindbergh at age 25.

Of course, a hippopotamusas "Person of the Year" would really set precedence.

Since 1927, Time has identified the Person of the Year, recognizing a person or group of people who most influenced the news during the past year, for better or for worse.

The shortlist of candidates for Time's 2017 "Person of the Year" was unveiled today. It included Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the #MeToo movement and Colin Kaepernick. Sadly, Fiona was not mentioned. Keep sharing her Twitter post.

The 2017 Person of the Year will be announced on Today, as well as Time.com, in the 7 a.m. hour Wednesday, Dec. 6.